How Chelsea will line up under Liam Rosenior

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 6 Jan 2026 07:27 CST
• 4 min read

Nieuws

Liam Rosenior is officially the new Chelsea manager and he will take charge of his first game for the Blues versus Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup on Saturday.

The Englishman is set for a watching brief at Craven Cottage on Wednesday, with interim boss Calum McFarlane handed a second and final game at the helm, before taking the reins for the first time this weekend.

Rosenior has arrived at Stamford Bridge with immense pedigree as a talented young coach, although his lack of top-level experience is regarded as a concern by many Chelsea supporters.

However, he displayed promise during his time at Strasbourg and his tactical flexibility may elevate the potential of Chelsea’s squad.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through how Chelsea could set up under Rosenior.

How will Chelsea line up under Liam Rosenior?

As mentioned, Rosenior is a flexible manager and this means he doesn’t always use the same formation or system, unlike his predecessor Enzo Maresca.

The 41-year-old frequently opted to deploy a 3-4-2-1 shape at Strasbourg, although he also preferred a back four formation at times and his system often looked different based on whether his side had possession or not.

As a result, the starting formation on paper isn’t always the most relevant factor, with Rosenior instead focusing on player profiles and fluidity of positions.

Predicting his preferred Chelsea XI is therefore a difficult task, although a number of players simply pick themselves.

Mike Penders may eventually become Rosenior’s goalkeeper at Stamford Bridge, when he returns from a loan spell at Strasbourg, but Robert Sanchez will be the favoured option for now.

Meanwhile, Malo Gusto could be set for a huge role under the new Chelsea boss given his versatile skillset and his ability to overlap. He will likely be deployed at right-back, but he may end up playing as a right wing-back in possession in this team.

Wesley Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah are undoubtedly Chelsea’s first-choice central defensive partnership with Levi Colwill injured, and Marc Cucurella will be deployed on the left.

Andrey Santos is set for a huge role under Rosenior, given their experience together at Strasbourg, but the new Chelsea boss will likely persist with Reece James, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez as a midfield trio for the first few weeks of his reign.

Cole Palmer may therefore be shifted to the right flank, however he will be given complete freedom to drift inside, with Gusto marauding on the overlap. Pedro Neto is expected to feature prominently on the other flank, especially as he is capable of playing as a wing-back on the opposite side to Gusto.

Joao Pedro and Liam Delap will compete for a starting berth through the middle, but the latter may be favoured due to his experience of working with Rosenior at Hull City.

Chelsea starting XI under Liam Rosenior

GK: Robert Sanchez

RB: Malo Gusto

CB: Wesley Fofana

CB: Trevoh Chalobah

LB: Marc Cucurella

CM: Reece James

CM: Moises Caicedo

RW: Cole Palmer

CAM: Enzo Fernandez

LW: Pedro Neto

ST: Liam Delap

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